What a radiologist learned about a thoracentesis from a pulmonologist

It was 1989. While alternating between NCAA basketball tournament games on broadcast television, reruns of an older version of the game show Wipeout on cable, and the 8-bit Nintendo game Top Gun, a child sat in a hospital bed in the middle of rural America wondering why he was there. All he knew was that he had a sharp pain in the left side of his chest and that couldn’t breathe very well. If you looked at him, however, you would be able to tell that his face was masked in pallor, and he had lost about 17 pounds over the course of a week. He was too weak to walk very far. Having no pediatric lung specialist in town, an adult pulmonologist agreed to evaluate the boy a few days after the hospital admission. After glancing at a series of chest X-rays, he recommended a thoracentesis, a procedure in which a small catheter is used to remove fluid accumulated between the ribs and the lungs through a small incision. The sudden appearance of a new doctor startled the family, as they had been kept relatively uninformed. He told the boy’s mother that he didn’t know what was going on, but the child might have to be transferred to a larger city hospital if they couldn’t figure it out soon, as his life was in danger. The boy heard this discussion which resulted in a rush of fear. Continue reading ... Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: Journals (General) Authors: Tags: Physician Radiology Source Type: blogs